Taxol - 1 x week or every other week

I am doing Taxol weekly and am suffering with pain issues and neuropathy - my onc thinks had I done DD it would have been much worse.  I was initially told that I would be doing DD AC and DD Taxol.  However, we realized near the end of AC that the trial I am in states that I have to do the Taxol weekly, not DD.  I was faced with a decision, stop the trial and do DD or continue with the trial and do weekly Taxol.  I was able to make a decision when I finished the AC.  Talk to your onc and see if he/she will let you get started on the AC and make the DD or weekly Taxol decision later.  We all handle the SE's differently and you may do well enough on AC that you want to do the DD Taxol to get it over with or you may want to give your body a break and do weekly.  That will give you more time to think about it, see how you're doing on AC and research which option will work best for you. 

The do the first infusion really slowly to start, and they hover nearby for the first 5 -10 minutes just to make sure you are OK. If you do have a reaction, they give you benedryl or something, and slow things right down. You will be OK!

Hi, Clarice; I had 12 Taxol and found it fairly easy.  I had almost no neuropathy until about week 10 and then I had a fairly mild version that is almost gone (after a year from date of onset). 

I have a number of allergies or sensitivities to chemicals and other things--hair dye, hair product, cosmetics, nickel, formaldehyde, sunscreen, latex.  I had a latex free surg suite for my mastectomies, although I thought that was probably not necessary.  For what it's worth, I had no allergic reactions during chemo, and very few side effects.  I reduced the steroid during Taxol to about 2mg and took none of the dex post infusion (with doctor's approval). 

I was really nervous about Taxol; I'd read a lot about allergic reactions and was fully expecting one.  As I waited through my premeds, the woman next to me in the chemo room had a full blown reaction to it--the nurse had walked away for only a minute.  I was sure I was next.   Her doc came in and told her she would be getting Taxotere henceforth. 

Warmest, have a good week!

Cathy

I was nervous about the 1st infusion as well, so much so they had to give me Ativan.  However, with the steroids and benadryl, I had no allergic reactions to the Taxol.  

Sis has arthritis so pain is norm. Doc said weekly would decrease the risk of bone pain so she did that. Tolerated pretty well. Never got neuropathy. The chemical the medicine is in can cause the allergic reaction - 1st dose most likely, 2nd possible so they have an epipen and oxygen etc by you and watch you closely. Once you are past that, not so bad. Sis did heavy premeds the night b4 and morning off for 1st 2 doses - Decadron. Good luck. Didnt need Neulasta - that was the best part!

I did 12 weeks of weekly taxol.  Definitely treated me better than the 6 DD EC.  Some neuropathy, some shortness of breath, but mainly dog tired.  At my clinic they give IV drugs beforehand to prevent adverse se.  All was fine.  Take the Ativan if you have restless leg during the infusion.  2 years later, their've been some scares, but all seems good.

Yellow,

So it appears that your onc is doing neoadjuvant chemo to shrink the tumor prior to surgery. Many women do surgery first so their decision comes much quicker whether it will be a single or bilateral MX. Those of us with neoadjuvant get to think about it for a while.

Getting a BMX is very much a personal decision.  During my 12 weeks of taxol I was leaning toward the BMX for a few reasons.  First, since I believe I going to get through treatment and have a lot years ahead I tend to think my chances of getting a new primary in the other breast are high due to family history.  Second, at 51 I really don't worry about losing a breast and relying on either a prosthesis or maybe someday doing reconstruction.  Third, I finally glanced at some of the comments from ladies who had just gone through surgery and saw that it was a very doable surgery.  It's amazing how quickly some of them are healing.

Now that I found out I'm BACR2+ a couple of weeks ago it has solidified the decision for the BMX since that increases the odds for another primary cancer in the other breast.  But that is as far as I've gotten in my decision.  I still have over 3 months of chemo so I don't spend much time thinking about the next phase of treatment.  I plan on working each phase when it's in front of me.